Oral History interview with Philip Hauge Abelson, 2002 June 19, 26 and July 3.

Philip Abelson discusses his education in chemistry and physics at Washington State University in early 1930s; graduate studies and work on cyclotron under E. O. Lawrence at University of California, Berkeley from 1935-1939; investigations into products of neutron irradiation of uranium; identification of transuranic element 93 with Edwin McMillan; scientific activities at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at Carnegie Institution of Washington; work on enrichment of uranium for nuclear submarine project at the Naval Research Laboratory; describes information channels between scientists and government officials during World War II and his perspective on the use of the atomic bomb; continued work at Carnegie by investigating biosynthesis of E. coli using radioactive tracers; as director of Carnegie's Geophysical Laboratory conducted organic geochemical investigations of amino acid decay in Mercenaria mercenaria; co-editor of the JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH; reflections on his editorship of SCIENCE.

Scientist and editor. Abelson spent most of his career at Carnegie Institution of Washington, moving from assisstant physicist (1939) to director of the Geophysical Lab to president (1971-1978).